Printing Services

The printing plants are designed to specifically service the medium run (3,000-80,000) publication market. Profiles Marketing Group simplifies the printing process by offering a base set of two Magazine-style options:
#1: Standard Size- 8 3/8″ X 10 7/8″

#2: Digest Size- 5 3/8″ X 8 3/8″

Our magazine group understands the important factors that drive every magazine title:

#1: Time- With deadlines, print schedules, and advertiser’s late submissions, days cut off the finishing cycle can help you make your deadlines.

#2: Money- Every dollar saved on prepress, printing, and mailing is profit in your corporate account.

#3: Quality- Profiles Marketing Group offers quality Newsstand style (Heat set web) magazine print options. All the printing plants employ advanced printing technology – including direct to plate high-quality presses.

All of our printing technology is geared to deliver quality printed titles, reasonable turnaround times, at cost efficient pricing that will better serve your readers and advertisers. Our experienced staff understands that designing and printing a quality publication is only part of the process. Timely distribution is equally important. Along with our magazine design and printing capabilities – Profiles Marketing Group can support any distribution requirements. From low cost pre-sort postal mailings to bulk shipments our team can offer a variety of delivery options to meet your publications budget and schedule.

Profiles Marketing Group is based in Knoxville, TN, with printing facilities located in Tennessee, Florida, Idaho, and Wisconsin.

For more detailed information on the specific printing options offered, read the pages to follow. At any time you can talk to a magazine sales rep at 865.690.0522 or by all means use any of our On-Line Interactive Request services.

Better Understanding Newsstand Style Magazines:

Our definition of “Newsstand” Style magazines are magazines that are run on coated paper on Heat Set Web Presses. We coined the word “Newsstand Style” because the majority of magazines found on newsstand use this printing method with only small variations on paper quality and thickness. This is the most common magazine style printed.
These are heat set magazines so color and registration is very sharp. Paper weight can range from 45# up to 100#… with the standard magazine of today printed on 50# – 60#.

Magazines can be run in full color and can be in any page increments of 8 starting with a minimum of 16 (so you can have 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, etc.). However, for best cost advantages keep in even 16’s as our presses run 16 page signatures (16 standard size pages or 32 digest size pages at a time).

“Newsstand style” magazines come with a set of H.P. color correct proofs for your final approval before printing OR Digital Proofing is also now available.

Customers can supply the digital files (see Submitting Print-ready Files)…
or contract our imaging facility for design and layout services (Magazine Design).

Magazine Upgrades:

Plus Covers

A magazine with a “plus cover” is a magazine that has a four page special cover put on it (front cover, back cover, inside front, inside back). It is generally done for magazines that require perfect binding (see below).
Also used when a magazine title is wanting a special heavier cover paper, cover coating, special ink additions or other special applications on the front cover.
Some plus covers options include:

Heavier Paper Stock- We offer from 80# coated up to a 6pt. coated cover stock (from heavier standard weight gloss paper to heavier cardboard-type gloss paper stock)

Aqueous Coating- The least expensive and quickest way to get an extra gloss coating on the cover. A water-based flood that covers the whole front and back cover’s exterior. No extra step needed – it is put like a 5th ink color. It is the most common special coating used on magazines.
Aqueous Coating is available on regular Newsstand Magazines that are self cover too!

UV Coating- A clear film laminate that is applied to the cover much like a decal. Ultra shiny and protective, UV requires an additional finishing pass from a separate machine… so will take extra time and be more expense.

Varnishes & Foils- A costlier specialty application that requires special set up of your digital files. Used on magazines with bigger budgets or novelty applications.

Perfect Bind

To perfect bind magazines means to glue bind them in the spine like a paperback book. To perfect bind you must have a minimum of 64 interior pages and then you must add a 4 page plus cover (see above). These we like to refer to as our “Image” Style Newsstand magazines because they are commonly used for large and upscale newsstand titles, coffee table style magazines, or generally nice finished magazine titles. Makes for a nice feel and finish of any magazine title. Keep in mind when selecting perfect binding – cost for finishing is higher and special layout requirements are need for adding a Plus cover.

Business Reply Cards (BRC’s)

We can print and bind any size or color requirement for a Business Reply Card. Printed on the standard 75# RC Offset we can press from the small 4″ x 6″ BRC to the full page BRC’s with perforations included. We offer from 1 color up to 4 color print options on 1 or both sides. This stock is approved for mailing so the return card will meet the USPS mailing standards.

Blow-in Subscription Cards

Standard 4 x 6 subscription BRC’s can be blown-in in the bindery cycles of the magazine press run. Whether you provide the cards for insertion – or we print them- our facility can set up any required insert.

Polybag

We can polybag any title with USPS approved plastic wrap. We offer labeling inside or out and have printing on the bag options. We can merge mail (put more than 1 title of other printed piece in the polybags). Polybagging is often required for international shipping of titles.

Ride-along Magazines, CD’s or Other

We can polybag any title with USPS approved plastic with additional ride along materials such as CD’s, other magazines, flat merchandise samples or other.

Ask our magazine experts about costs and other options your magazine may require from the printing facility. For more specific information and to better understand paper options visit our Educational Services section “An Education in Paper Terms